


it's an easy thing (but easier with you)

by aetherae



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Gen, Missing Scene, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses), am or vw/ss-compliant i guess, can be read as romantic or platonic i'm not picky, i guess?? or more like 'a support they didn't have but could have', just bc of the brief mentions of hilda
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-11
Updated: 2020-04-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:22:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23593018
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aetherae/pseuds/aetherae
Summary: Five years later, Marianne takes up Sylvain's offer.
Relationships: Marianne von Edmund & Sylvain Jose Gautier, Marianne von Edmund/Sylvain Jose Gautier
Comments: 2
Kudos: 28





	it's an easy thing (but easier with you)

**Author's Note:**

> me: complains incessantly that sylvain and marianne should've had an a rank support where they bond over how much they hate their respective crests and the different ways they ruined their lives, thus showing how damaged their self-worth is because of it and that they have that in common  
> also me: thinks of a completely different scenario to write for them instead
> 
> i absolutely played myself, so instead i'm calling this their b+ support. will i ever write that elusive a rank support? well...…...……………………… one can hope.
> 
> all that said, enjoy!

“Sylvain? Might I have a moment of your time?”

“Hm?” He turns around, grinning as easily as ever, and every fiber of her being tells Marianne to run. That this is a mistake, that she’s wasting his time, that he couldn’t possibly care or even remember a conversation from so long ago— “Sure thing. What’s on your mind?”

Instead, she tightens her hands clasped in front of her and stands her ground. Today’s the day, she decided. Today’s the day, and she can do this much at least.

“Um,” she stumbles, and maybe she can’t do this much. Still, Sylvain waits patiently, smile never faltering. Marianne takes a deep breath. “I was hoping you might accompany me to town. There’s something I wanted to show you.”

Immediately, she catches a flicker of _something_ in his eyes. Recognition, she hopes, then proceeds to chastise herself for getting her hopes too high. He nods, and that’s more than enough for. “Sure, I’d love to go! Shall we?”

They make their way to town, uneventful but not completely silent either. It’s a little easier speaking with him now than it was back in their school days. She does her best not to leave the talking entirely on his shoulders, though Sylvain seems accustomed to it anyways. It doesn’t stop her from worrying that her attempts at conversation bore him, or that he might regret coming, but it’s… fun. She has fun, listening to him speak. His stories of wooing women and aggravating friends might be as foreign as Albinea to her, but there’s a liveliness to him she couldn’t ever hope to manage. She admires it.

By the time they reach their destination, she’s almost completely forgotten what they even made their way here for. 

“Sooo,” Sylvain starts, hands behind his head as they continue walking leisurely. “What was it you wanted to show me? Did a new restaurant open up here, by chance?”

She almost jumps, cheeks flushed as she realizes. From the teasing grin he wears, she’s almost positive now that he knows exactly what she brought him here for. Honestly, that might be even worse. “Oh, no, that’s—”

Goddess, if this is how she handles just a bit of teasing, how will she ever bring herself to smile? Just the other day when Hilda came by for tea, the other girl caught her practicing her smile in the mirror and pounced. 

_“Ohh, Marianne, you look so happy! What’s the big smile for?”_

_“N-Nothing! I’m just, um… practicing my smile.”_

_“Practicing, huh? Is that for anything in particular? Or should I say for anyone?”_

She begged the Goddess to smite her on the spot.

“Marianne, relax,” he says, snapping her out of getting lost in her own thoughts yet again. “I was only kidding… But I probably shouldn’t have teased you like that, huh?” Sylvain straightens his shoulders, standing tall. It could almost be intimidating, but she thinks his smile is too warm for that. “Okay, seriously. What did you want to show me? I’d really like to know.”

Taking a deep breath, Marianne thinks of all the things she likes. Things like taking care of Dorte, or when the Professor praises her after running drills. Things like having tea with Hilda, or enjoying the scenery with Ignatz.

Things like the walk she took with Sylvain today.

“I wanted to show you my smile.”

So, she does.

If she thought his smile from before was already warm, his answering one must be impossibly so. The corners of his eyes crinkle, and perhaps she should know better considering everything, but she can only think of his smile as kind. Genuine.

“Wow, you look amazing! Lovely, even. I take it you’ve been practicing?”

To her surprise, she feels her lips stretching, her smile widening even further. “Yes, I have. I’m sure I have a long way to go before I’m as practiced as you, but…”

“Trust me, you don’t want to be as practiced as I am. Actually, I’m kind of surprised you showed me this in the first place,” he says with a sigh, brows drawn together, almost rueful.

“You are?” Dread fills her gut, and her smile slips from her face. No, of course he’d be surprised, who would possibly expect someone like her to waste their time in such a way? How foolish she was to think she’d managed to change when she’s only proven herself to be a burden once again. “I’m sorry, you must have had other things to do after all. I’ve done nothing but waste your time, haven’t I? If you’d please excu—” 

Sylvain reaches out as she turns away, nearly grabbing at her arm. He stops at the last moment, stepping around to face her instead. “Wait, that’s not what I meant! Sorry, I’m bungling this all up… Look, if you really want to go, I won’t stop you, but what I mean is that I’m surprised you’d go so out of your way to show me such a beautiful smile. You should’ve saved it for someone more deserving.”

Oh. Well. That’s not what she was expecting. She frowns.

“‘Someone more deserving’? What do you mean by that?”

“Come on, you know what I mean.” He puts his hands behind his head again, smiling easily like always, but this time, the corners of his eyes don’t crinkle. “You have a special smile, Marianne. I know that for a fact now. And showing it to a lousy, good-for-nothing guy like me? It just seems like such a waste.”

She shakes her head. “But if not for you, I never would’ve learned how to smile like this.”

“Nah, you would’ve figured it out even without me, I’m sure,” he insists, still wearing that same self-deprecating grin, still putting himself down. She doesn’t like it.

“No, you’re wrong!” Hands clasped tightly together in front of her, she straightens her back and lifts her head, never averting her gaze from him and making sure he doesn’t either. “I’m well aware of your reputation, but you told me that you think a person’s value is determined by their smile. When we’ve spoken, your smile has never been anything but kind. _You_ have never been anything but kind to me. And without you, I never would’ve realized any of that. So no, I don’t think it was a waste to show you.”

For a moment, Sylvain simply stares at her, mouth parted in shock. She’s sure she’ll lose her nerve at this rate. But before she can think of something else to say, he laughs, bright and cheerful and clear. He grins at her, and it’s the kind she likes best.

“Wow. Well, after something like that, I can’t really argue with you, can I?”

Unbidden, a small laugh escapes her. “No, I don’t think you can.”

“In that case…” He takes a step back to enter a low, sweeping bow. It’s a little over-the-top and dramatic, but it’s also very much Sylvain, and it makes her giggle again. When he looks back up at her, it’s with the same genuine kindness he’s always shown her. “Thank you very much, Marianne. I’m honored that you would show me your best smile.”

She beams. Unbeknownst to her, it really is her best smile yet.

**Author's Note:**

> the outline of this fic:
> 
> s: you must know I'm a piece of shit  
> m: you say that but w/o you I never would've smiled like this so  
> s:  
> m: checkmate


End file.
